JP6884099B2 - Inhalation device with user recognition based on inhalation behavior - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inhalation device configured to allow a user to inhale an aerosol or vapor containing a desired drug or component. Examples of these types of inhalers include electrically operated tobacco, heat-not-burn tobacco systems, and medical inhalers. The present invention specifically relates to devices and methods capable of recognizing or authenticating a user based on the smoke-absorbing behavior of the user.

An example of an inhaler is an electronic cigarette. E-cigarettes are considered less harmful than traditional cigarettes and can be used as smoking cessation aids, but e-cigarettes are used by unlicensed individuals, especially those under the legal age of e-cigarettes. Not intended to be. Currently available e-cigarettes do not have a mechanism to prevent unauthorized use.

Many other electronic devices use a number of user identification systems. For example, mobile phones generally require the user to enter a password before it can be fully activated. More advanced systems include fingerprint recognition, face recognition, voice recognition, and retinal scanning. However, these systems are usually bulky and cannot be integrated with small devices such as e-cigarettes. Also, even smaller systems such as fingerprint recognition and hand gesture recognition require complex and expensive electronics and software to be integrated into the device. WO 2014/150704 describes some of these types of systems used to prevent the unauthorized use of e-cigarettes.

It would be desirable to provide a simpler, less bulky and cheaper means of preventing unauthorized use of the inhaler. It would also be desirable to provide a means of automatically recognizing the user of the inhalation device to provide personalized device operation.

In the first aspect, there is a method of controlling the operation of the suction device, which includes a gas flow path serving as a passage through which gas can be drawn out by the user's smoke absorption operation, a gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and a memory. Provided, the method is
Recording gas flow measurements from the gas flow sensor;
To provide a correlation score by comparing the gas flow measurement with the user's smoke absorption characteristics stored in memory;
Includes enabling or disabling further operation of the device based on the value of the correlation score.

This method allows an inhaler, such as an electrically actuated smoking device or medical inhaler, to authenticate the user of the device based on the detected smoke-absorbing behavior. Only if the user is determined to be a legitimate user will the device be available for further operations, such as delivering an aerosol to the user. This device authentication and device fraud prevention method is simple and compact, and may be a very inexpensive solution given that many inhalers implement flow sensors and controllers for other purposes. There are many.

As used herein, an inhalation device includes any device configured to deliver material for user inhalation. The inhaler may be, for example, a medical inhaler or nebulizer, vaporizer, e-cigarette, or heat-not-burn tobacco device. As used herein, inhalation means the action of the user inhaling an aerosol or gas into the user's body through the user's mouth or nose. Inhalation involves inhaling into the lungs before exhalation and only inhaling into the oral cavity or nasal cavity before exhalation.

As used herein, a gas flow measurement can represent a measurement of gas flow, which may be mass or volume flow, or of pressure change, electrical resistance or capacitance. It may represent measurements of one or more other parameters related to gas flow, such as changes.

The method may further include recording the user's smoke absorption characteristics based on a signal from the gas flow sensor and storing the user's smoke absorption characteristics in memory during the setup procedure. The step of recording the user's smoke absorption characteristics may include recording the gas flow rate through the gas flow sensor during a first predetermined period. In addition, the step of recording a user's smoke-absorbing properties may include providing the user with an indication of the start of a first predetermined period. Therefore, in the setup operation, the user may be required to provide smoke-absorbing properties by giving a characteristic smoke-absorbing behavior within a set period after an indicator such as a light or speaker is activated in the device. The user may select any smoke absorption characteristic that the user prefers. For example, the user can choose continuous smoke absorption or short rapid smoke absorption, or can also select a single long smoke absorption with a fluctuating gas flow rate. Such smoke absorption behavior is recorded for a set period of time, for example, 2 seconds, and is stored in the memory as a user's smoke absorption characteristic.

The step of recording a gas flow measurement may include recording the gas flow rate through the gas flow sensor during a second predetermined period. The second predetermined period may, advantageously, have the same period as the first predetermined period. The step of recording a gas flow measurement comprises providing the user with an indication of the start of a second predetermined period, or an indication that the device is ready to begin recording of a second predetermined period. .. An optical or audible display may also be provided to indicate the start of the authentication procedure. The user subsequently repeats the user's smoke absorption characteristics. The user's smoke absorption characteristics are recorded as gas flow measurements during a second predetermined period and then compared to the stored smoke absorption characteristics to provide a correlation score.

The correlation score can be a single value derived from a correlation algorithm or a pattern matching algorithm.

Steps that allow or disable further operation of the device may include comparing the correlation score with the threshold score and, if the correlation score exceeds the threshold score, allowing further operation of the device. .. If the correlation score does not exceed the threshold score, the device can become unusable. The step of disabling the system may include disabling the system for a predetermined unavailable period before the user can try the authentication procedure again. The unavailable period can increase with each successive invalidation of the device until the user is successfully authenticated and the device is available. For example, disabling the first device can include disabling the device for only a few seconds. Disabling the second device may include disabling the device for 2 minutes if the user is still unable to provide matching smoke absorption characteristics. If the attempt to still provide matching smoke-absorbing properties is unsuccessful, the device can be disabled for one hour.

The method may also include permanently disabling the device until a reset procedure has been performed. The reset procedure may include connecting the device to a PC or other secondary device and providing a different form of authentication via the secondary device, such as a password. When the reset procedure is performed, the user may need to record new smoke absorption characteristics.

The method may further include changing the user's smoke absorption characteristics based on the gas flow measurements if the correlation score exceeds the threshold score. Thus, each time the user is successfully authenticated, the user's smoke-absorbing properties can be updated or replaced by the latest matching smoke-absorbing behavior. This can be useful for tracking small changes in smoke-absorbing behavior over time, or for averaging properties that cause variations due to time, season, or local environment.

The smoke absorption characteristic of the user does not have to be the smoke absorption behavior intentionally brought about by the user as a characteristic. The user's smoke-absorbing properties can be a recorded normal smoke-absorbing behavior that is unique to the user.

The step of comparing a gas flow measurement with a user's smoke absorption characteristics may include comparing any suitable parameter of the gas flow measurement. For example, one or more of the following parameters can be used: time to end smoke absorption, time to peak flow rate, time to first maximum flow rate, time to first minimum flow rate, peak flow rate. Time between, flow rate change rate, number of peak flow rates, flow rate at peak flow rate, smoke absorption capacity, peak flow rate ratio, change rate of flow rate ratio, interval between smoke absorption, and curve shape. For example, the user's smoke absorption characteristics may include the maximum flow rate, the number of flow rate peaks, and the initial velocity of the flow rate change during the first 0.5 seconds. Each of these parameters can be extracted from gas flow measurements. Comparisons can be made for each of the parameters and the weighted sum of the comparison results can be used to provide the final correlation score.

The choice of parameters to use will depend on the length and complexity of the smoke absorption properties recorded, as well as the sensitivity of the gas flow measurements obtained. The purpose is to provide reliable authentication of true users while maintaining a balance between denial of identity and acceptance of others. The selection of parameters, correlation algorithms, and threshold scores can all be adjusted to provide the required work based on trial and error.

The method was recorded by the user prior to the step of comparing the gas flow readings to the user's smoke absorption characteristics, time-dependent, based on the type of consumables used in the device, or both. It may further include changing the smoke absorption characteristics of. Smoke absorption characteristics can be modified for the night compared to the morning, for example, if the user has been shown to typically absorb more smoke in the morning than in the night.

If the device can be used with another consumable containing a substance delivered from the inhaler to the user, the other consumable can affect the flow rate through the device. Therefore, smoke absorption properties can be modified based on the consumables used. This is especially useful when the user trait is not a deliberately brought trait but a recorded normal smoke-absorbing behavior, which can reduce false rejection.

The method can include storing the smoke absorption characteristics of multiple users, and the step of comparing the gas flow measurement with the user's smoke absorption characteristics will compare the gas flow measurement with each smoke absorption characteristic and multiple correlations. May include providing a score. This allows multiple users to be authorized for a single device. For example, in the case of an electrically operated smoking device, there may be multiple licensed users in the household.

The method may further include modifying the operation of the device depending on the highest of the plurality of correlation scores. This allows the operating parameters of the device to be set for users who are authenticated to use the device. Furthermore, taking the example of smoking devices, one user may prefer a higher amount of aerosol delivered per smoke absorption than another licensed user. If the device generates an aerosol by heating the substrate, the device may be configured to provide more heat to the substrate for a user compared to other users. Also, a single user can select a particular mode of operation by recording different smoke absorption characteristics to allow different device operations and, as a result, providing specific smoke absorption characteristics. For example, one smoke-absorbing property may be used when very fast aerosol delivery is required, and another smoke-absorbing property may be used when more gradual aerosol delivery is required.

In the second aspect, it is an inhalation device.
With a controller configured to control the operation of the device;
A gas passage that is a passage through which gas can be drawn out by the user's smoke absorption operation,
With the gas flow sensor in the gas flow path;
Including memory
The controller is configured to generate a correlation score by comparing the user's smoke absorption characteristics stored in the memory with a gas flow measurement from the gas flow sensor, and based on the value of the correlation score. An inhalation device is provided that is configured to enable or disable the operation of the device.

The inhalation system can be an electrically operated smoking system.

The smoking system can be an electrically heated smoking system that heats an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid contained in a liquid storage portion or a solid substrate. In either case, the aerosol-forming substrate can be fed to a replaceable consumable portion that engages the device in use. The smoking system may be a heat-not-burn tobacco type system in which the cigarette is heated without burning to form an aerosol that can be directly inhaled by the user.

The device can include an air suction port and a mouthpiece, a gas flow path extends between the air suction port and the mouthpiece, and the gas navigates the gas flow path by the user's smoke absorption action on the mouthpiece. Can be pulled out through. Alternatively, the user may absorb smoke directly from the aerosol-forming substrate coupled to the device.

The controller may be configured to perform some or all of the steps described with reference to the first aspect.

In particular, the controller may be configured to record the smoke absorption characteristics of the user by recording the flow rate of gas passing through the gas flow sensor during a first predetermined period. The device can also include one or more indicators, such as LEDs or speakers, and the controller can be configured to provide the user with a first predetermined period start indication. The controller may be configured to record a gas flow measurement by recording the gas flow rate through the gas flow sensor during a second predetermined period. The second predetermined period may, advantageously, have the same period as the first predetermined period. The controller may be configured to provide the user with an indication of the start of a second predetermined period.

The controller may be configured to compare the correlation score to the threshold score and allow further operation of the device if the correlation score exceeds the threshold score. If the correlation score does not exceed the threshold score, the controller can disable the device. The controller can disable the system for a predetermined unavailable period before the user can try the authentication procedure again. The unavailable period can increase with each successive invalidation of the device until the user is successfully authenticated and the device is available.

Also, the controller may be configured to permanently disable the device until a reset procedure is performed. The reset procedure may include connecting the device to a PC or other secondary device and providing a different form of authentication via the secondary device, such as a password. When the reset procedure is performed, the user may need to record new smoke absorption characteristics.

The controller can also be configured to change the user's smoke absorption characteristics based on gas flow measurements if the correlation score exceeds the threshold score.

The controller may be configured to compare gas flow measurements with any suitable parameters of the user's smoke absorption characteristics. For example, one or more of the following parameters can be used: time to end smoke absorption, time to peak flow rate, time to first maximum flow rate, time to first minimum flow rate, peak flow rate. Time between, flow rate change rate, number of peak flow rates, flow rate at peak flow rate, smoke absorption capacity, peak flow rate ratio, change rate of flow rate ratio, interval between smoke absorption, and curve shape. Comparisons can be made for multiple parameters and the weighted sum of the comparison results can be used to provide the final correlation score.

The controller records the user based on time-dependent and / or based on the type of consumables used in the device prior to comparing the gas flow readings with the user's smoke absorption characteristics. It is also possible to change the smoke absorption characteristics of.

The controller can store the smoke absorption characteristics of multiple users and compare the gas flow measurements with each smoke absorption characteristic to provide multiple correlation scores. This allows multiple users to be authorized for a single device. For example, in the case of an electrically operated smoking device, there may be multiple licensed users in the household. The controller can change the operation of the device depending on the highest of the plurality of correlation scores. This allows the operating parameters of the device to be set for users who are authenticated to use the device.

The gas flow sensor is described in a microphone type sensor, a pressure sensor, or a sensor commonly used in electronic tobacco, or a sensor in which cooling of a resistance element by an air flow acts on its electric resistance. It may be any suitable sensor that provides an accurate indicator of smoke absorption, such as a sensor based on.

The controller may include a microprocessor, which may be a programmable microprocessor. The controller may include additional electronic components. The electrical controller may be configured to regulate the power supply to aerosol generating elements such as heaters or vibrating membranes. Electric power can be continuously supplied to the aerosol generating element after the system is started, or can be supplied intermittently such as every time smoke is absorbed. Power can be supplied to the aerosol generating element in the form of current pulses.

The device may include a non-volatile memory in which the user's smoke absorption characteristics can be stored.

The device may include an aerosol generating element configured to interact with an aerosol-forming substrate to produce an aerosol for inhalation. In one embodiment, the aerosol generating element is a heater configured to heat an aerosol generating substrate to provide an aerosol for user inhalation. The heater can include one or more heater elements and can be configured to heat a solid aerosol-forming substrate or a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The heater may be an electrically actuated heater and the device may include a power source to power the heater. The controller may be configured to control the power supply to the heater, and the controller may render the device inoperable by stopping the power supply to the heater, providing power to the heater. Bringing may enable the operation of the device.

An aerosol-forming substrate is a substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds capable of forming an aerosol. Volatile compounds can be released by heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain plant-derived materials. Aerosol-forming hypokeimenon may contain tobacco. The aerosol-forming substrate may include a tobacco-containing material containing a volatile tobacco-flavored compound released from the aerosol-forming substrate upon heating. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a non-tobacco-containing material. Aerosol-forming substrates may contain homogenized plant-derived materials. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain a homogenized tobacco material. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain at least one aerosol-forming body. Aerosol-forming bodies facilitate the formation of dense and stable aerosols in use, and are any suitable known compounds or mixtures of compounds that are substantially resistant to thermal decomposition at the operating temperature of the system. Is. Suitable aerosol-forming bodies are well known in the art and are polyhydric alcohols (such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin), esters of polyhydric alcohols (such as glycerol monoacetate, diacetate, or triacetate). , And aliphatic esters of monocarboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids, or polycarboxylic acids, such as, but not limited to, dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanediate. Preferred aerosol-forming bodies are polyhydric alcohols or mixtures thereof (eg, glycerin or propylene glycol such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and most preferably glycerin). Aerosol-forming substrates may contain other additives and ingredients (such as flavoring agents). In one example, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises a mixture of glycerin, propylene glycol (PG), water, and a flavoring agent, as well as nicotine. In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises approximately 40% by volume PG, 40% by volume glycerin, 18% by volume water, and 2% by volume nicotine.

The device may include means for detecting an aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate may have a barcode or other sign that can be read by the device. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate may be provided with electrical contacts, and the substrate identification information may be transmitted to the apparatus via the electrical contacts. The controller may adjust the operation of the device and may change the smoke absorption characteristics of the user depending on the properties of the aerosol-forming substrate.

It is advantageous for the system to include a power source, typically a battery (such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery), within the body of the housing. Alternatively, the power supply may be another form of charge storage device, such as a capacitor. The power supply may require recharging and may have sufficient energy storage capacity for one or more smoking experiences. For example, the power supply has sufficient capacity to allow continuous generation of aerosol over a period of about 6 minutes, or multiples of 6 minutes, corresponding to the typical time it takes to smoke a conventional cigarette. Can have. In another example, the power supply may have sufficient capacity to allow a predetermined number of smoke absorptions or discontinuous activation of the heater elements.

The aerosol generation system preferably includes a housing. The housing is preferably elongated. The housing may contain any suitable material or combination of materials. Examples of suitable materials are composite materials containing metals, alloys, plastics or one or more of them, or for food or pharmaceutical applications such as polypropylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyethylene. Suitable thermoplastics are mentioned. The material is preferably lightweight and not brittle.

The aerosol generation system is preferably portable. Aerosol generation systems can have sizes comparable to traditional cigars and cigarettes. The overall length of the smoking system can be from about 30 mm to about 150 mm. The outer diameter of the smoking system can be from about 5 mm to about 30 mm.

The ability to detect certain smoke-absorbing properties can be used not only for authentication purposes, but also to recognize a user or a particular user behavior and adapt the operation of the device to best suit that user or user behavior.

In the third aspect of the present invention, the operation of the suction device including the gas flow path serving as a passage through which the gas can be drawn out by the smoke absorbing operation of the user, the gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and the memory is controlled. A method of doing so is provided.

To store smoke absorption profile data in the memory;
Recording gas flow measurements from the gas flow sensor;
To provide multiple correlation scores by comparing the gas flow measurements with the smoke absorption profile data;
It includes modifying the operation of the device based on the value of the correlation score.

The smoke absorption profile data can be data recorded during the user's previous operation of the device. The method may further include recording the user's smoke absorption data based on a signal from the gas flow sensor during operation of the inhaler and storing the data in memory as smoke absorption profile data.

The inhalation device can be described with reference to a second aspect and can be a smoking device that is particularly electrically actuated. The steps to change the operation of the device are, for example, changing the power supplied to the heater element or other aerosol-generating component, eg, changing the target temperature, or the duration of power-on to the heater or other aerosol-generating component. This can be by changing the control strategy, changing the supply of one or more aerosol-forming substrates into the aerosol generating element or gas flow path, or changing the dimensions of the gas flow path.

If the user's initial smoke-absorption behavior matches a particular stored user's smoke-absorption data, and that stored smoke-absorption data is associated with a particular control parameter of the device, these control parameters will be applied during the operation of the device. It may be adopted until the device becomes unusable or its switch is turned off.

In this way, the operation of the device can be optimized especially for user behavior. If it is determined that the user has started using a particular smoke-absorbing behavior, the device will continue to use the same smoke-absorbing behavior during this use session, and the device will operate during the operation of the device. Can control the operation of.

A fourth aspect of the present invention includes a computer program product, a gas flow path serving as a passage through which gas can be drawn out by a user's smoke absorption operation, a gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and a memory. Provided are computer program products that implement the method of the first aspect of the invention when executed on a programmable controller in an inhaler.

A fifth aspect of the present invention includes a computer program product, a gas flow path serving as a passage through which gas can be drawn out by a user's smoke absorption operation, a gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and a memory. Provided are computer program products that implement the method of the third aspect of the invention when executed on a programmable controller in an inhaler.
The features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may be applied to another aspect of the invention.
The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings as a mere illustration.

A first example of an electrically operated smoking system according to the present invention is shown. The smoke absorption profile by the type of apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is shown. The estimated smoke absorption profile used as the smoke absorption characteristic is shown. It is a flow chart of the setup procedure for recording the smoke absorption characteristic of a user. It is a flowchart of the authentication process by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of selecting an operation mode based on the smoke absorption data used. A second example of an electrically actuated smoking system according to the present invention is shown.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an inhalation device, which is an electrically operated aerosol generation system, and according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the system is a smoking system. The smoking system 100 of FIG. 1 includes a housing 101 having a mouthpiece end 103 and a body end 105. A power supply source in the form of a battery 107 and an electric circuit 109 are provided at the end of the main body. The electrical circuit includes a programmable microprocessor and non-volatile memory, and may also include other electrical components. A smoke absorption detection system 111 in the form of a gas flow sensor that works with the electric circuit 109 is also provided. At the end of the mouthpiece, a liquid storage portion in the form of a cartridge 113 containing the liquid 115, a capillary core 117 and a heater 119 are provided. It should be noted that this heater is only outlined in FIG. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, one end of the capillary core 117 extends into the cartridge 113 and the other end of the capillary core 117 is surrounded by a heater 119. The heater is connected to the electrical circuit via a connection 121 that can pass along the outside of the cartridge 113 (not shown in FIG. 1). The housing 101 also includes an air inlet 123, an air outlet 125 at the end of the mouthpiece, an aerosol forming chamber 127, an LED indicator 129, a USB port 131, and a button 133.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the electric circuit 109 and the smoke absorption detection system 111 are programmable. The electrical circuit 109 and the smoke absorption detection system 111 are used to manage the operation of the aerosol generation system. This helps control the particle size of the aerosol.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an electrically operated aerosol generation system according to the present invention. However, many other examples are conceivable. In addition, it should be noted that FIG. 1 is virtually schematic. In particular, the illustrated components are not equiscale, either individually or relative to each other. Aerosol generation systems need to include or contain aerosol-forming substrates. Aerosol generation systems require certain aerosol generation elements, such as heaters or vibration transducers, to generate aerosols from aerosol-forming substrates. However, other aspects of the system may be modified. For example, the overall shape and size of the housing could be changed. In addition, the system may not include a capillary core.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a capillary core for transporting the liquid substrate from the storage portion to at least one heater element. Capillary cores are preferably made of various porosity or capillary materials and have known preset capillary phenomena. An example is a ceramic or graphite-based material in the form of fiber or sintered powder. Different porous wicks can be used to contain liquids with different physical properties such as density, viscosity, surface tension and vapor pressure. The wick must be suitable to deliver the required amount of liquid to the heater. The heater may include at least one heating wire or filament that extends around the capillary core.

Alternatively, the heater may include a heater element located adjacent to the wick or directly adjacent to the liquid aerosol forming substrate storage tank. In particular, the heater can be substantially flat. As used herein, "substantially flat" means a heater that is substantially two-dimensional and has a manifold shape. Thus, a substantially flat heater extends two-dimensionally along a surface that is substantially larger than the third dimension. In particular, the dimensions of the two-dimensional substantial heater within its surface are at least five times larger than the third dimension perpendicular to the surface. An example of a substantially flat heater is a structure between two substantially parallel surfaces, where the distance between these two surfaces is less than the extension within that surface. In some preferred embodiments, the substantially flat heater is planar. In other embodiments, the substantially flat heater is bent along one or more dimensions, forming, for example, a dome shape or a bridge shape.

The heater may include a plurality of heater filaments. The term "filament" is used throughout the specification to mean an electrical path located between two electrical contacts. The filament may optionally branch and branch into several pathways or filaments, respectively, or may merge from several electrical pathways into one pathway. The filament can have a round, square, flat or any other cross-sectional form. The filaments can be arranged linearly or curvedly.

The plurality of filaments can be, for example, an array of filaments arranged in parallel with each other. The filament may form a mesh. The mesh can be woven or non-woven. Multiple filaments may be placed adjacent or in contact with the capillary material holding the aerosol-forming substrate. The filament can define the gap between the filaments, and the width of the gap can be 10 μm to 100 μm. The filament can cause capillary action in the gap so that the liquid, which will be vaporized during use, is drawn into the gap, increasing the contact area between the heater assembly and the liquid.

In one example, the heater comprises a mesh of filaments made of 304L stainless steel. The filament has a diameter of about 16 μm. The mesh is connected to electrical contacts separated from each other by a gap and is made of copper foil with a thickness of about 30 μm. The electrical contacts are provided on a polyimide substrate with a thickness of about 120 μm. The filaments forming the mesh define the gaps between the filaments. In this example, the gap has a width of about 37 μm, but larger or smaller gaps may be used. By using meshes of these approximate dimensions, a meniscus of the aerosol-forming substrate is formed in the gap, and the mesh of the heater assembly pulls out the aerosol-forming substrate by capillary action. The heater is placed in contact with the capillary material that holds the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The capillary material is held in a rigid housing and the heater extends over the openings in the housing.

With reference to the embodiment of FIG. 1 again, the operation at the time of use is as follows. The liquid 115 is carried from one end of the core 117 extending into the cartridge to the other end of the core surrounded by the heater 119 by capillary action from the cartridge 113. When the user sucks the aerosol generation system at the air outlet 125, the ambient air is sucked through the air suction port 123. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the smoke absorption detection system 111 detects smoke absorption and activates the heater 119. The battery 107 supplies electrical energy to the heater 119 to heat the end of the core 117 surrounded by the heater. The liquid at the end of the wick 117 is vaporized by the heater 119 to produce supersaturated vapor. At the same time, the vaporized liquid is replaced by additional liquid that moves along the core 117 by capillary action. (This is often referred to as "pumping action".) The supersaturated vapor produced is mixed with an air stream from the air inlet 123 and carried by that air stream. Within the aerosol forming chamber 127, the vapor condenses to form a suctionable aerosol, which is carried towards the air outlet 125 and into the user's mouth.

FIG. 2 shows the user smoke absorption over time profile 200. The flow rate of air passing through the smoke absorption detection system is shown on the Y-axis and the time is shown on the X-axis. The smoke absorption profile 200 has a complex shape with two maximum flow rates and one minimum flow rate. As can be suggested from FIG. 2, smoke absorption can be characterized by many different parameters. For example, the total period of smoke absorption is indicated by ΔT1, the time to the first maximum is indicated by ΔT2, the time to the second maximum is indicated by ΔT3, the time to the minimum is ΔT4, and the maximum flow rate. The time between the end of smoke absorption is ΔT5, and the time between the maximums is ΔT6. Further, the average flow rate during smoke absorption and the flow rate change rate during smoke absorption are shown in FIG. Slope 1 is the flow rate change rate up to the first maximum, slope 2 is the flow rate change rate between the first maximum and the subsequent minimum, and slope 3 is the flow rate between the minimum and the second maximum. The rate of change, slope 4 is the rate of change in flow rate between the second maximum and the end of smoke absorption. Further, the peak flow rate 2 which is the value of the first maximum flow rate and the peak flow rate 1 which is the value of the second maximum flow rate and is the total maximum flow rate during smoke absorption are shown in FIG. All and additional parameters of these parameters, such as the curvature of the plot or the total air capacity of the smoke absorption (area under the curve), can be used as parameters to characterize the smoke absorption, as well as to authenticate the user or determine the mode of operation of the system. Can be used for

In one embodiment, the system is configured to perform an authentication procedure prior to use so that only authorized users can operate the system. The authentication procedure is based on the user's smoke absorption behavior. In order to authenticate the user, the user must first record the smoke absorption characteristics of the user, which is to record the smoke absorption behavior over a short but predetermined period of time. FIG. 3 shows three exemplary smoke absorption characteristics 300, 310, 320. The smoke absorption characteristic can be recorded in memory as a flow measurement value or stored as one or more parameters of the above types extracted from the flow measurement value. To be most characteristic, the user may select exceptional and prominent smoke absorption behavior as a characteristic, including some local flow peaks.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the setup procedure in which the smoke absorption characteristics of the user are recorded. In the first step 400, the setup procedure begins. The setup procedure can be initiated by holding down button 133 for at least 2 seconds. To avoid unauthorized users recording smoke absorption characteristics, this is done before the first use of the device or after the device is connected to the computer via USB port 131 and a device reset is performed. Can only be possible. When the setup procedure begins, in step 410, the controller 109 activates indicator 129 when it is ready to start recording the smoke absorption characteristics. Following activation of indicator 129, the user sucks smoke from the mouthpiece 125, and in step 420, a flow measurement is obtained by the smoke detector for a predetermined period of time. The flow rate measurement value is stored in the memory as a smoke absorption characteristic in step 430. As described, the smoke absorption property can be stored as a flow measurement or as one or more parameters extracted from the flow measurement using an algorithm performed by a microprocessor. The setup procedure ends at step 440. The end of the setup procedure can be displayed to the user by re-enabling LED129.

As an alternative to the process of FIG. 4, the user's smoke absorption characteristics can be recorded during the first operation of the device or during the first few device operations without the need for setup procedures. The user's normal smoke-absorbing behavior can be unique enough to enable authentication based on the first few moments of smoke-absorption. In this case, it may be particularly advantageous to continuously update the user's smoke absorption characteristics following each successful authentication. The larger the sample size on which the smoke absorption properties are based, the more reliable the certification procedure tends to be. Producing the characteristics using the user's normal smoke-absorbing behavior provides an advantage in terms of user convenience, minimizing any delay between energizing the device and delivering the aerosol to the user. Become.

FIG. 5 shows how the user's smoke absorption properties can be used in the authentication process. At step 500, the user energizes the device. Then, in step 510, the device provides the user with an indication that the authentication procedure is initiated, for example by enabling indicator 129. The device then begins recording the flow measurement value in step 520. In step 530, the controller extracts from the recorded flow rate measurements parameters that will be used for comparison with the user's smoke absorption characteristics (s). This step determines when the user initiates the authentication process by sucking smoke from the mouthpiece and obtains flow measurement data during the next predetermined period, which is comparable to the time cycle of the user's smoke-absorbing properties. It can include things. In step 540, the controller performs a correlation calculation between the parameters extracted in step 530 using the stored smoke absorption characteristics of the user. The correlation algorithm used will depend on the number and complexity of the parameters used. Correlation operations result in a correlation score, which can be a single number. For example, the correlation score can be derived from the weighted sum of the correlation results based on each parameter being compared, and the coefficient of the weighted sum can depend on the value of the correlation result.

In step 550, the correlation score is compared to the threshold stored in memory. If the correlation score exceeds the threshold, the recorded flow measurement is considered to match the stored user's smoke-absorbing properties well enough and the user can be authenticated as the smoke-absorbing property. If the process proceeds towards step 560, further device operation is enabled in step 560 by a controller that stores a possible flag in memory, allowing the user to enjoy a smoking session. If the correlation score does not exceed the threshold, the process proceeds towards step 570, where _{the device becomes inoperable during the unavailable T n} , after which other authentication attempts are made to step 510. Can be done back. The device may provide a display to the user, for example by controlling and blinking indicator 129 while the device is unavailable.

The unavailability time can be determined by the authentication counter value n. Each time the attempt to match the user's smoke absorption characteristics is unsuccessful, the counter value is incremented by 1. If the authentication is successful, the counter value is reset to 1. As the value of n increases, the unusable time increases until n reaches the maximum value, for example 5. At the maximum counter value, the device is permanently unavailable until a reset operation is performed. The reset operation can request an alternative form of authentication. For example, the device may be connected to the computer via a USB port, and the user may be required to enter a password or some other form of user identification into the computer to reset the device.

The device can store in memory the smoke absorption characteristics of several types of users, which correspond to different authorized users or different user profiles of the same user. When the smoke absorption characteristics of several types of users are stored in memory, the correlation calculation of step 540 is performed in relation to each stored smoke absorption characteristic to provide a plurality of correlation scores. In step 550, the highest correlation score is then selected for comparison with the threshold.

The operating parameters of the device, such as the amount of power supplied to the heater during user smoking and the number of times the power is turned on and off, can be adjusted for a particular user. Therefore, when the user is authenticated in step 550, the controller can select the operating mode associated with that user. For example, during the registration process, the device is connected to a computer and the user can set the user's preferences or complete a questionnaire about the user's smoking habits. Such information is stored in the memory of the device and can be used to set the user profile, which determines the operating parameters used by the device for that user. A single user can store several different profiles and can provide different smoke absorption characteristics for each. Therefore, the user can use one smoke-absorbing property for the morning smoking preference and another smoke-absorbing property for the smoking preference when going out at night.

FIG. 6 shows another related aspect of the present invention. The process of FIG. 6 uses previously recorded user smoke absorption data to predict the progression of a smoking session, instead of using stored user-specific smoke absorption characteristics to determine the operating mode of the device. When the user's first smoke-absorbing behavior matches the first smoke-absorbing behavior of the previous session, the device operation is optimized based on the hypothesis that the user's smoke-absorbing behavior continues to match the previous smoking session.

At step 600, a smoking session is initiated. This may be after the type of authentication process described with reference to FIG. 5 has been performed. During the first user smoke absorption, the gas flow rate passing through the gas flow sensor is recorded. In step 620, specific parameters for comparison with the stored data are extracted from the gas flow measurement values in the same way as described in step 530 of FIG. At step 630, the extracted parameters are associated with the parameters extracted from the previous smoking session to provide multiple correlation scores. The correlation score corresponding to the best match is selected and in step 640 the operating mode of the device is selected based on the hypothesis that the user smoke absorption behavior matches the previous smoke absorption behavior associated with the corresponding parameter. .. The mode selection operation ends in step 650.

Naturally, the stored data in the process of FIG. 6 may not be unique to the user, but may be general data stored in the memory at the time of manufacture. The device may have several stored profiles such as "strong smoke absorption", "short smoke absorption", "long smoke absorption", etc., in relation to a particular initial smoke absorption parameter. The profile that best matches the user's initial smoke absorption behavior is then selected.

FIG. 7 shows in a simplified manner the components of an alternative embodiment of the electroheated aerosol generator 700. The embodiment of FIG. 7 is an electrically heated tobacco device in which a tobacco-based solid substrate is heated without burning to produce an aerosol for inhalation. The elements of the electrically heated aerosol generator 700 are not shown on an equal scale in FIG. Elements that are not relevant to the understanding of this embodiment are omitted in the simplified FIG.

The electroheated aerosol generator 700 includes a housing 703 and, for example, an aerosol-forming substrate 710 such as a cigarette. The aerosol-forming substrate 710 is pushed into the cavity 705, which is shaped by the housing 703, and comes into thermal proximity to the heater 701. The aerosol-forming substrate 710 releases a variety of volatile compounds at different temperatures. By controlling the operating temperature of the electrically heated aerosol generator 700 to be lower than the emission temperature of some volatile compounds, the emission or formation of these smoke components can be avoided.

Inside the housing 703 is an electrical energy source 707, such as a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The controller 709 is connected to a heater 701, an electrical energy source 707, and a user interface 715 (eg, buttons and displays). The controller 709 controls the power supplied to the heater 701 to regulate its temperature. The aerosol-forming substrate detector 713 can detect the presence and properties of the aerosol-forming substrate 710 that is thermally close to the heater 701 and signals the presence of the aerosol-forming substrate 710 to the controller 709. The provision of a substrate detector is optional.

The air flow sensor 711 is provided in the housing and is connected to the controller 709 to detect the air flow rate passing through the device.

The controller 709 controls the maximum operating temperature of the heater 701 by adjusting the power supply to the heater. The temperature of the heater can be detected by a dedicated temperature sensor. Alternatively, in the illustrated embodiment, the temperature of the heater is measured by monitoring its electrical resistivity. The electrical resistivity of a wire length depends on its temperature. The resistivity ρ increases with increasing temperature. The actual resistivity ρ properties vary depending on the exact composition of the alloy and the geometry of the heater 701, and experimentally determined relationships can be used in the controller. Therefore, the information on the resistivity ρ at any time point can be used to estimate the actual operating temperature of the heater 701.

In the embodiments described, the heater 701 is an electrically resistant track (s) deposited on a ceramic substrate. The ceramic substrate is in the form of a blade and is inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate 710 during use.

Recording the smoke absorption characteristics and extracting the smoke absorption characteristics in the system of FIG. 7 functions in the same manner as the method described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. However, with the addition of the substrate detector 713, the correlation process may be modified with information about the substrate to allow for different resistances and select the different substrate provided (RTD). A substrate with a higher RTD will result in less gas flow through the system for a given user attempt.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to two different types of electrical smoking systems, it will be clear that the present invention is applicable to other inhalation devices.

It will also be apparent that the present invention can be implemented in a conventional inhaler equipped with a gas flow sensor as a computer program product for execution on a programmable controller. The computer program product may be provided as one of the downloadable software or on a computer-readable medium such as a compact disc.

Claims (14)

A method of controlling the operation of an intake device including a gas flow path serving as a passage through which gas can be drawn out by a user's smoke absorption operation, a gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and a memory.
During the setup procedure, with the step of recording the smoke absorption characteristics of the user based on the signal from the gas flow sensor;
With the step of storing the smoke absorption characteristics of the user in the memory;
With the step of recording the gas flow measurement value from the gas flow sensor;
With the step of comparing the gas flow measurement with the smoke absorption characteristic of the user stored in the memory to provide a correlation score;
The method comprising a step of enabling or disabling further operation of the device based on the value of the correlation score. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recording the smoke absorption characteristics of the user comprises the step of recording the flow rate of gas passing through the gas flow sensor during a first predetermined period. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of recording a user's smoke-absorbing properties comprises providing the user with an indication of the start of the first predetermined period. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the step of recording the gas flow measurement value includes a step of recording the gas flow rate passing through the gas flow sensor in a second predetermined period. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of recording a gas flow measurement comprises providing the user with an indication of the start of the second predetermined period. The steps that enable or disable further operation of the device are a step of comparing the correlation score with a threshold score and, if the correlation score exceeds the threshold score, a step of enabling further operation of the device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which comprises. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of changing the smoke absorption characteristics of the user based on the gas flow measurement when the correlation score exceeds the threshold score. The step of comparing the gas flow measurement value with the smoke absorption characteristic of the user is the following parameter.
Time to end smoke absorption, time to peak flow rate, time to first maximum flow rate, time to first minimum flow rate, time between peak flow rates, flow rate change rate, number of peak flow rates, flow rate at peak flow rate , Smoke absorption capacity, peak flow rate ratio which is the ratio of the first peak flow rate to the second peak flow rate, the ratio of the first change rate of the flow rate to the second change rate of the flow rate, and the interval between smoke absorption. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which comprises comparing one or more of the above. Any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a step of changing the recorded user's smoke absorption characteristics in a time-dependent manner prior to the step of comparing the gas flow measurement with the user's smoke absorption characteristics. The method described in the section. The step of disabling the further operation of the device for a predetermined disabling time, comprising steps of unusable the device A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The step of comparing the gas flow measurement with the user's smoke absorption characteristic, including storing the smoke absorption characteristics of multiple users, compares the gas flow measurement with each smoke absorption characteristic and provides a plurality of correlation scores. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the operation of the apparatus is changed depending on the highest of the plurality of correlation scores. On a programmable controller in a suction device that is a computer program product and includes a gas flow path that is a passage through which gas can be drawn out by a user's smoke absorption operation, a gas flow sensor in the gas flow path, and a memory. The computer program product that implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 when executed in. It ’s an inhalation device,
With a controller configured to control the operation of the device;
A gas passage that is a passage through which gas can be drawn out by the user's smoke absorption operation,
With the gas flow sensor in the gas flow path;
Including memory
The controller is configured to record the user's smoke absorption characteristics based on a signal from the gas flow sensor during the setup procedure and store the user's smoke absorption characteristics in the memory, and the controller further. , The smoke absorption characteristic of the user stored in the memory is compared with the gas flow measurement value from the gas flow sensor to generate a correlation score, and based on the value of the correlation score, said. The inhalation device configured to enable or disable operation of the device. Inhalation device is a smoke device for electrically operated inhaler according to claim 13.

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